Wabbitdad12 wrote:
What model of camera did you get?, I looking at getting a new one.
It's a Nikon D300.
I've been giving the new body a workout over the last few days, and I must say I really like it.
The pictures I just posted were taken with the same 18-135mm zoom that I used in the earlier pictures, which were taken with a Fuji S3. They're both Nikon DSLRs (the Fuji is really a Nikon N80), so all of the lenses I've accumulated over the years will work with either (actually, the manual lenses will work with D300 metering and not with the S3, so I can use my 600mm mirror lens again - yay!).
The new camera's basic operation is very similar to the S3, and like all the Nikons I've used, it's just comfortable. They're both 12-13 megapixel, which is more than I need, but nice to have if I want to make a really big print.
The autofocus is much better than the S3's - it has 51 focus points which automatically figure out what should be in focus and shows you in the viewfinder where it will focus before you take the picture, as opposed to the older 9-point manual AF. I like the auto-ISO feature - you set the lowest shutter speed you're willing to use, and the camera increases the sensor sensitivity (up to 6400 ISO) until it can use that shutter speed or higher. The S3 had only manual ISO setting, and only up to 1600, so I get both an extra two stops of speed and the benefit of lower noise if I don't need the speed, without having to remember to set the ISO up or down.
The other new features I like are a
huge LCD display on the rear for picture review (in addition to the normal one on top for shooting settings), a cleaner menu system and more convenient controls, and a sensor-cleaner which shakes dust off the sensor on demand. It's also got lots of other features I've got to decide if I have any use for.